Mercola.com, the popular personal health website, has a list of seven dangerous foods that you should avoid to lead a healthier lifestyle. Of course, these foods are not the only ones that you should avoid in the supermarket, but they are some of the more dangerous and toxic and some might otherwise seem safe to consume. It is sad that so many foods that line the shelves are so contaminated, but some are much moreso than others, so it’s helpful to know what to absolutely avoid.
Included in this list are canned tomatoes, non-organic potatoes, corn-fed beef, farmed salmon, conventional apples, microwaved popcorn, and milk produced with artificial hormones. Most surprising to me was the inclusion of canned tomatoes:
“The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity—a prominent characteristic of tomatoes—causes BPA to leach into your food.”
Dr. Mercola comments on the dangers of BPA:
The current US federal guidelines put the daily upper limit of “safe” exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. You should know, however, that even low-level exposure to BPA can be hazardous to your health, and Consumer Reports testing found that eating popular canned foods may expose you to excessive amounts of BPA:
* Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans had BPA levels ranging from 35.9 ppb to as much as 191 ppb
* Progresso Vegetable Soup had BPA levels ranging from 67 to 134 ppb
* Campbell’s Condensed Chicken Noodle Soup had BPA levels ranging from 54.5 to 102 ppb
Scary stuff. Read the list here and inform yourself about what to avoid the next time you go shopping for food!